A/N: Sorry for the Hiatus! I had a lot going on, and there was a death of a loved one so I've been a little lost.

But thank you for all the favorites and reviews! They make my day! I'm so glad people actually like my stories! So here's the first of many more to come! If anyone has any requests, feel free to send them to me, I'd love to give ya treat.

And this one is for Lily-AnnieLestrange-Potter, hope this meets your fill! ;)

Stella has nightmares. Terrible, horrible, wake-up-screaming nightmares. They're becoming more and more constant now, with all that she has lived through. So far, she's managed to keep them a secret from her band mates; Stella isn't one to worry anybody.

So she puts up with the sleepless nights, and lays in bed for hours, too afraid to fall asleep, too scared to relive everything. Honestly, they're mostly about Shep and his almost death. Stella often will venture to his sleeping quarters and watch his chest rise and fall just to reassure herself: he's alive, he's still alive. There are tubes and machines hooked up to him keeping the pilot this way, but Stella can deal with it, as long as he's still here.

But sometimes they're an inconvenience. Like now.

She'd curled up on the couch Shep had provided for her. The living offered the most privacy on his tiny ship that was currently taking them back to their world. Sleep overtook her and within an hour she was up and crying; she was used to this, she could handle it.

"I knew I wasn't imagining those bags under your eyes."

Stella snaps her head up from her palms, not too sure how to handle the weakly Shep leaning against her doorway for support. His look is bittersweet, though whether it is from the pain of being up or her current situation. So she stifles a sob.

"The doctor said you shouldn't be up," she whispers, avoiding eye contact.

Shep gives her that lopsided smile he always does and somehow manages to struggle over to the makeshift bed. He perches at the foot of the couch and winces. She panics. "Shep please! Don't over-exert yourself!" While Stella flutters her fingers over his wounds Shep gently brushes them away and holds those tiny digits close to his calloused ones.

"Stella," he breathes and she finally looks him in the eyes. The bass player is trapped, and can't look away anymore. "You're not the only one having nightmares."

"Really?" she sniffles. He nods.

"You don't have to carry this burden alone Stella, we're all suffering. You don't have to be strong anymore." Her heart is pounding in her chest.

"What are yours about?"

". . . I dream I never got to tell you."

She loses it right then and there, breaking into a full on sob and throwing her face back into her hands. Shep slowly draws Stella close, tucking her head under his chin, his arms encircling her waist. She soothes her with words of comfort and love, patiently waiting for her to finish.

When Stella is finally able to speak again, he probes her mind about the fears that haunt her through the night. Stella fully opens herself up, and the words come pouring out about how scared she really was, all the pain that she'd been holding in to be strong, now gone.

"I was so scared I might lose you." she tells him.

And quietly Shep pulls the blankets around them both, eventually they're laying down, clinging to each other for comfort. As her eyelids become to heavy to open Stella feels emotions she believes she needs to express.

"I love you Shep."

He's quiet for awhile, but eventually she feels something warm pressed against her lips. Finally she realizes he's kissing her and returns they gesture tenderly. It tastes like salt, he must be crying too. Stella doesn't care.

With a strained voice, Shep replies, "I love you too Stella." He pulls her closer.

She sleeps peacefully that night.